Playboy Bunny

One of America's favorite icons, the Playboy bunny, was discovered on an integrated circuit made in Germany by Siemens. The bunny rabbit head logo was originally designed by Art Paul, the first art director of Playboy Magazine, and has appeared on the cover of every issue (with the exception of the very first). Hugh Hefner, creator of the concept is quoted:

"I selected a rabbit as the symbol for the magazine because.... he offered an image that was frisky and playful. I put him in a tuxedo to add the idea of sophistication. There was another editorial consideration, too. Since both the 'New Yorker' and 'Esquire' use men as their symbols, I felt the rabbit would be distinctive; and the notion of a rabbit dressed up in formal evening attire struck me as charming, amusing, and right."

The integrated circuit was donated to the Silicon Zoo by German photographer Karl E. Deckart, who is one of our featured microscopists. To view more of Karl's work, visit his Mikro/Makro website, which contains a sampler of his transmitted and reflected light images captured with a microscope.